D, Delgado-Santa L. Mapping the distribution of armored harvestmen (Opiliones, Laniatores) in Colombia: updated list of species, taxonomic contributions, and insight of diversity in protected areas

Colombia is a biodiverse country with 1,486 protected areas covering almost 50 million hectares, yet little is known about the biodiversity they harbor, particularly in terms of harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones). This study provides a comprehensive updated summary of the armored harvestmen (Laniatores) species found in Colombia with a list of 173 nominal species, focusing on the Laniatores fauna found in protected areas and its diversity is detailed and analyzed. Maps with all records associated with ecoregions and protected areas in Colombia are presented. Additionally, three new Laniatores species are described here: Phalangodusandresisp. nov. from the department of Cundinamarca, and Ventrifurcaphallainasp. nov. and Ampycellafortunatasp. nov. from the department of Valle del Cauca; and a new family assignment is proposed for Paraphalangodus Roewer, 1915, placing it in the family Nomoclastidae. Information available on Laniatores in the National System of Protected Areas is still scarce and promoting strategies to facilitate the regulatory procedures for collecting specimens in these areas and increasing investment in basic science projects, are suggested to improve the understanding and study of the Laniatores fauna and other invertebrates in Colombia. Finally, a chronicle and timeline set of figures of species of Laniatores from Colombia, described by various authors during three periods, is given.

Gone with the rain: negative effects of rainfall on male reproductive success in a nest-building arachnid

In nest-building species, offspring survival and reproductive success of parental individuals are strongly influenced by nest quality. Thus, quantifying the influence of abiotic conditions on nest integrity is important to predict the effects of weather variability on the fitness of parental individuals. Here, we investigated how rainfall affects nest integrity and how nest integrity influences males’ attractiveness and nest tenure. Our study species was the harvestman Quindina limbata, in which males build mud nests on fallen logs and protect the eggs against predators and fungi. Our data set comprises 12 months of regular inspections of 149 nests in a Costa Rican rainforest. We found that almost 50% of the nests were destroyed by rainfall. The drag force caused by rainfall running on the fallen log surface negatively affected nest integrity. Fungi cover on nests was influenced by an interaction between rainfall and nest position on the fallen log. Irrespective of their body size, males in nests with high integrity received more eggs than males in nests with low integrity. Fungi cover did not influence the number of eggs received by the males. Finally, nest integrity and fungi cover did not affect nest tenure, but males that did not receive eggs for a long time tended to abandon their nests. Considering that intense rainfall occurs all year long in tropical forests, males should build their nests in protected sites that preserve nest structure. Protected sites may keep nest structure better preserved, improve offspring survival, attract more females, and increase males’ reproductive success.